The King of Han said: “Lord Mengchang, Lord Pingyuan, Lord Xinling, and Lord Chunshen—these four noblemen were all wise, loyal, and trustworthy; generous in spirit and kind to the people; honoring the worthy and esteeming the learned. They united the six states against Qin, gathering the strength of Han, Wei, Yan, Chu, Qi, Zhao, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan. At that time, the strategists of the six states—Ning Yue, Xu Shang, Su Qin, and Du He among them—devised their plans; Qi Ming, Zhou Zui, Chen Zhen, Shao Hua, Lou Huan, Zhai Jing, Su Li, and Yue Yi communicated their views among the states; and Wu Qi, Sun Bin, Dai Tuo, Ni Liang, Wang Liao, Tian Ji, Lian Po, and Zhao She commanded their armies. They once relied on territory ten times that of Qin and a million soldiers to attack Hangu Pass. The men of Qin opened their gates to meet the enemy, yet the allied forces of the nine states hesitated and faltered, daring not to advance. Qin lost not a single arrow or arrowhead, while the feudal lords of the realm were already exhausted. Thus the Vertical Alliance collapsed, and the states vied with one another to cede territory and bribe Qin. With surplus strength, Qin exploited the weaknesses of the states, pursued the fleeing enemy, and slew them until a million corpses lay prostrate and blood flowed in rivers, so great that even shields could float upon it. Taking advantage of the favorable situation, Qin carved up the world at will, dividing mountains and rivers. The powerful states begged to submit, and the weak ones entered court to pay homage.”
💡 商战启示录
This passage reveals the fragility of the Vertical Alliance—a seemingly formidable coalition that, riddled with internal discord and lacking unified execution, crumbled without a single blow before a formidable foe. In modern commerce, such cases abound. For instance, after Didi merged with Kuaidi in 2015, Uber China rallied several local ride-hailing platforms in an attempt to counter the giant, yet each party, driven by its own pursuit of market share and subsidy resources, suffered severe internal attrition, ultimately being picked off one by one by Didi, forcing Uber China to retreat. In contrast, the Qin state's strategy of "secluding itself to husband strength, awaiting the enemy's self-inflicted chaos" mirrors today's industry leaders—take Apple, for example, which refrains from hasty price wars, focusing instead on product innovation and ecosystem cultivation, waiting until competitors weaken through internal strife or strategic missteps before seizing the market with overwhelming advantage. Another case lies in e-commerce: the erstwhile "Jingdong-Tencent Alliance" against Alibaba saw members like Vipshop and Pinduoduo each harboring their own agendas, failing to forge a unified strategy, and ultimately being dismantled by Alibaba through tactics such as "forced exclusivity." The business lesson: alliances are easily forged, yet without a shared vision, a well-defined profit-sharing mechanism, and robust execution, they are but paper tigers. True strength derives from internal cohesion and the relentless refinement of core competencies, not from outward clamor and spectacle. Managers should be wary of alliances that promise mere illusory prosperity—first cultivate inner strength, then strike at the opportune moment.